Venture Banners supplies pop-up stands as part of its wide-ranging service offering
If there is one thing that the UK is not short of, it is exhibitions and events, with venues such as the NEC and ExCel booked up months, even years, in advance by organisers from various sectors, including our own. From Sign and Digital UK, through to The Print Show, sign and print exhibitions alone bring with them plenty of work for those active in the stand-making sector.
While the demand for work is easy to identify, what might not be as simple is how to take advantage of these opportunities. Be it exhibition stands or pop-up structures, it is critical for companies to ensure their work is of top quality, not only to satisfy the customers, but also for the sake of health and safety issues.
O Factoid: Exhibitions draw in thousands of visitors, making stand design important; there were 5,384 visitors to The Print Show exhibition in 2015. O
Here, we speak to some of the companies active in this sector to find out about the materials and solutions on offer to the market, as well as how to ensure that the structures you produce will stand the test of time.
Focus on quality
One company that serves as a shining beacon as to how you can be a success in this market as well as others is Venture Banners, which offers a selection of pop-up stand solutions. Scott Conway, managing director, says that the firm has seen plenty of demand in this sector, describing this year as one of the busiest in its history.
This year, Venture Banners enjoyed its most successful August ever, with sales up more than 30 percent
“We’ve just come out of our busiest August ever, with sales up over 30 percent on the same month last year, and pop-up exhibition stands have played a good part in that,” Conway comments, adding that it is in the interest of the company to ensure the materials and solutions it supplies are of high quality: “We are trade suppliers only, so we sell at a price that enables our trade customers to make a nice margin.
“As with all things there are some cheap ones out there but they are cheap for a reason, so you will find the graphics don’t line up as they should or the hardware won’t stand straight on a slightly uneven floor. All our graphics are machine cut for perfect panel line up and all our units have adjustable feet for uneven surfaces.”
As to whether this would be a suitable market for other companies to move into, Conway says that such is the versatility of pop-up stands that there will always be a demand for these solutions, thus highlighting opportunities for work.
“The fact that they can be joined or combined with other products to create larger systems with more visual impact is a fantastic selling point and of course they are easily portable,” he says, adding: “Not to mention you can make a tidy profit on them and if use us to produce the pop ups you won’t even have to do anything. We offer a full range of pop ups from 1 x 3m to 5 x 3m straight and curved.”
Also established in this market is Ultima Displays, whose UK product manager, Andy Jakes, says the company’s diverse range of products, and an ongoing focus on quality, has helped keep it busy since its entrance into the industry in 1999.
Ultima Displays has been active in this market since 1999, offering a wide range of solutions to customers
Jakes comments: “It never pays to buy a product based on how competitively priced it is and at Ultima, price alone is not our sole focus. We concentrate on the full offering—including ethically sourcing carefully chosen merchandise, investing heavily in research and development and even manufacturing 25 percent of our products in house.
“We aim to continually improve our current range and make each product fit for purpose, being able to offer lifetime hardware guarantees in some instances. As a trade only supplier, our trade partners rely on our product breadth and quality, customer service and speed of delivery to help them grow their business—so it’s vital that quality runs through the core of our business.”
Jakes goes on to say this approach to business has not only supported Ultima, but also its customer base: “With the support on offer from Ultima, we have made it our company’s mission to genuinely care about making our customers’ lives easier by working in partnership to deliver the competitive advantage.”
Ultima does this through providing a variety of support services, in addition to special services such as free 3D CAD design services, free marketing support, and offering helpful credit terms to manage cash flow. Its trade partners also have access to free use of its showroom and the firm’s pre-build area to use for their customers.
Jakes concludes: “With our state-of-the-art printing suite and expert finishing team for fabric displays we can also offer a range of printing services to meet requirements. We offer such a comprehensive range of services designed to help our trade partners that we like to think this makes not only a good market to expand into, but a great one.”
Represent yourself
Another company active in this sector is Applelec, which offers various services to the wider sign industry. Gabrielle Catlow, one of the business development managers at the firm, says that a stand should serve as a representation of the company that produced it.
Applelec says its LED Light Sheet can be used to bring a real dynamism to even the most plain exhibition stand
Catlow expands: “A stand tells a story about the company it represents, is it stylish, cheap and cheerful, innovative, exciting, eye-catching and well made? All these factors can shape an exhibition visitor’s opinion of a company. As a trade supplier, Applelec works indirectly with the exhibition industry and the businesses that are ultimately promoting themselves at shows. Our customers are looking for products that can impress their clients and help them to stand out.
A stand tells a story about the company it represents, is it stylish, cheap and cheerful, innovative, exciting, eye-catching and well made?”
“There is a danger in using cheap materials, where the finish can be of poor quality because this can result in an under-whelming stand that lacks impact and professional quality. However, that’s not to say that by being inventive, a really impactful yet seriously cheap stand can be created.”
For many of the exhibition companies Applelec supplies, a reusable element adds value to a product, for example some companies hold a number of sizes of Applelec’s LED Light Sheet, which they can reconfigure into new stands for different clients. In these instances, having a high quality product can pay if it is hard wearing and can be used for show after show before beginning to deteriorate.
Expanding further on its LED Light Sheet product, Catlow says it can be used for different parts of a stand, from the illuminated floor of a mobile exhibition space in the back of a truck, to more interactive stands.
Also on offer from Applelec is the new VM Illumination display system, the firm’s first range of pop-up stands for companies working within the exhibition sector.
Catlow says: “With simplicity of use at the foundation of their design, our VM Illumination stands are easy to build, without the need for tools, which makes them ideal for exhibitions, events and temporary display requirements. The stands accommodate illuminated poster frames, which form part of the new VM Illumination range enabling customers to choose their preferred options from several styles of portrait and landscape A-series frames.
“The frames themselves have been created to reflect modern design aesthetics and are super-slim, robust and elegant. Featuring low energy consumption whilst delivering exceptionally high brightness, the frames and mobile stands are all supplied with a two year warranty. When not in use at exhibitions, the stands can be used for POS or in reception areas making them an even more versatile investment for sign companies to suggest to their clients.”
Meeting expectations
Delving further into the sector, Signwaves provides services to trade customers, rather than end-users. Michaela Smith-Moore, marketing manager, says that the use of quality materials in this market is of the “utmost importance”, no matter if your customers are trade or end users.
Signwaves says its curved pop-up stands are perfect for use in exhibitions and events
Smith-Moore comments: “Expectations of customers include hardware that is long-lasting due to it being ‘portable’, not to bend or buckle under pressure, print material is durable and not easily torn and potentially interchangeable if being used long term and for different events.
“Most importantly companies need to understand their customer needs, ensure these are met, but also go beyond by asking probing questions. This makes sure all areas of use and potential issues have been considered, and therefore the quality standard being supplied at least equals the task at hand, if not surpasses it. By doing this, companies are then able to manage client expectations fully.
Signwaves supplies its quick banners as single or double sides, as well as in adjustable heights
“Opting for cheaper material, whether this is in the choice of hardware, print material or print method can be detrimental for a company. It can result in loss of income due to having to replace items, loss of future orders and most damning damage to their reputation.”
Opting for cheaper material, whether this is in the choice of hardware, print material or print method can be detrimental for a company”
Signwaves is able to provide a host of products and solutions, including curved pop-ups with optional hard counter trolley case—which it says are perfect for exhibitions and events—as well as folding display kits, eco roll-up banners, X-banner stands, quick banners with single or double sides in adjustable heights, promotional counters and stands, and brochure displays and holders.
However, despite acknowledging the amount of work on offer in the market, as to whether this is a good area to expand into, Smith-Moore has mixed views: “This really depends on whether you are looking at manufacturing the hardware yourself or just producing the print.
“There are numerous suppliers of hardware in the market, so to compete with these on price would be difficult due to initial overheads involved in getting such a venture off the ground. However, for a sign supplier looking at expanding their print offer, and purchasing hardware from third parties, it is an ideal opportunity. They would be able to offer a full spectrum of designs, sizes, quality and quantity, therefore ensuring they meet many customer requirements.
“However it key that they source high quality hardware and use optimum print to ensure they maintain a reputable name.”
Identifying opportunities
Delving further into the sector, Grafenia, and its trade print service Marqetspace, are another up and coming player. Peter Gunning, chief executive of Grafenia, says while the market has been quiet in recent months—partly due to the impact of Brexit— he does expect it to pick up again towards the end of the year, picking out a number of niche sectors in particular.
Grafenia has identified a trend for creative, branded spaces within office environments and has created a product range to meet demand
Gunning expands: “An area we have been more consistently busy and seeing growth is our new range of ink on fabric exhibition stands, partly because they're so versatile and can be used for so much more than just exhibitions. There’s a trend for creative, branded spaces within the office environment as businesses move away from rows of open plan cubicles. So, the need for versatile, cost-effective solutions has increased. Fabric displays are proving a popular solution for many businesses.
“Our partners clients are using the fabric range to ‘pimp’ their office space with branded backdrops, room dividers and in particular meeting booths. Our fabric range provides businesses with a low cost way to brand an office, hide ugly décor, create secret meeting rooms and creative spaces.”
As to what Grafenia and Marqetspace can offer, Gunning picks out a number of options to suit different types of customer, highlighting the same issue as Signwaves’ Smith-Moore: “Our ‘budget’ range actually isn’t that budget, over time we’ve looked at many alternative suppliers for the units, but we focus on offering a product that is reliable. The reality is most clients want value for money; they want to re-use their promotional banners.
“Again, our fabric range offers much more value for money, the lightweight 'pop and lock' aluminium tube framework is easy to transport and durable. The fabric graphic is eye-catching, machine washable, and easily interchangeable.”
In the current climate, and with the need for printers to diversify, getting into fabric provides a great opportunity. It is however a steep learning curve and completely different to ink on paper. And this why Grafenia’s trade arm, Marqetspace, offers any graphics professionals an easy way into the market.
As with many of the markets sounded out for potential expansion, the message seems to be that while work may be available, it is critical for those considering a move to ensure they are able to offer high quality products. By working with the recognised and respected suppliers in this market, this will allow you to not only access the best materials, but also identify trends and niche areas to help your business grow.
Gunning concludes: “Exhibitions and shows will remain part of almost all industries for many years to come, but it is up to you to find out how you can take advantage of this and make profit for your own business.”
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